Board biographies

Charles Urlaub was appointed president at Mount St. Mary’s Hospital and Health Center in October 2019. This role is in conjunction with his new role as senior vice president, partnerships, integration and care delivery, at Catholic Health, effective September 2019.

Prior to these roles, Urlaub led Mercy Hospital in South Buffalo, developing innovative programs and establishing a physician-led capital allocation process. The hospital was the first in the region to build hybrid operation rooms and establish a robotics program.

Under his leadership, Mercy Hospital was designated as a Comprehensive Stroke Center by The Joint Commission and received service excellence awards from Healthgrades and Gold Plus Achievement Awards from the American Heart Association in a variety of healthcare services.

Before joining Mercy Hospital, Urlaub was vice president of quality and associate vice president of operations at Buffalo General Health System; vice president, strategic services at Kaleida Health; chief administrative officer at Mercy Health Care Partners in Scranton, Pennsylvania; and interim president at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Warren, Ohio.

Daniel Ireland is a lifelong resident of Genesee County, New York, with more than 20 years of healthcare industry experience. He has had a long and varied career at United Memorial Medical Center. He began in 1990 as an orderly/medic and progressed to serving as a floor nurse on a medical/surgical unit. He worked as the emergency department nurse manager at the time of the Amtrak train disaster in 1994, as an information technology clinical analyst in 1998, administrative analyst in 2001 and director of quality management in December 2004. He assumed the administrative duties of ancillary departments and the Hope Haven Center, and was promoted to vice president, clinical support services, in 2005. In 2010, Ireland was promoted to vice president of operations and to president in 2014.

Ireland completed his associate degree in nursing from Genesee Community College, his Baccalaureate of Science in Nursing degree from SUNY Brockport and received a Master of Business Administration degree from the Rochester Institute of Technology. He is a member of the Leadership Genesee class of 2006 and recipient of Buffalo Business First’s 40 Under 40 award in 2007. He recently became a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives.

Currently, he serves on the board of directors for Byron Bergen Central School District, Gillam-Grant Community Center and Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine Training.

Mary LaRowe joined Brooks Memorial Hospital as president and chief executive officer in April 2016 through a management agreement with Kaleida Health where she serves as a vice president. In February 2018, she became president and CEO of Brooks-TLC Hospital System, Inc., following the merger of Brooks Memorial Hospital, TLC Health Network and Lake Erie Regional Health System of New York.

With more than 30 years of healthcare experience, including 25 years in administration and leadership positions in Western/Central New York, LaRowe has held leadership positions with the Healthcare Association of New York State, Westfield Memorial Hospital/St. Vincent Health System, United Memorial Medical Center and the New York State Department of Health. Before joining Brooks, she served as president and CEO of Catholic Health East/Trinity Health’s St. James Mercy Health System.

LaRowe is board certified and has fellowship status from the American College of Healthcare Executives. She earned a Master of Business Administration degree from the State University of Buffalo at New York and a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from D’Youville College. She currently serves on HANYS’ board of directors and the board of directors for Chautauqua Health Network.

Jonathan Lawrence was appointed president and chief executive officer of Arnot Health in June 2018. He began his healthcare career as an emergency medical technician and transitioned to community mental health where he earned his first appointment in healthcare administration. Lawrence joined Arnot Health as the chief operating officer in April 2017.

Over the last 30 years, Lawrence has led the regional efforts of healthcare provider and payer organizations encompassing the entire continuum of care, in government, private, for-profit and not-for-profit settings.

Lawrence earned both his bachelor’s degree in health management and policy and his master’s degree in healthcare administration from the University of New Hampshire. He is a board-certified Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives.

His current board appointments include Three Rivers Development Corporation, Chemung County Chamber of Commerce, Southern Tier Economic Growth, Finger Lakes Performing Provider System, Inc., Southern Tier Health Care Alliance, Excellus’ Southern Tier Regional Advisory Board, Accountable Health Partners and the CHART Subscriber Advisory Committee.

Judy Baumgartner was appointed president of Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital and DeGraff Medical Park in August 2020. Baumgartner has spent nearly 30 years with the Kaleida Health System, most recently as president of the Visiting Nursing Association of Western New York, a $135 million home care program with operations across the eight-county region and in Northwestern Pennsylvania. She has also overseen Kaleida’s laboratory division and its inpatient and outpatient pharmacy programs for nearly 10 years. Most recently, Baumgartner successfully led Kaleida Health’s lab testing strategy and operations during the COVID-19 pandemic, interfacing with dozens of partners and external constituencies, including community hospitals, nursing homes, government entities, physician groups and clinics.

She previously served as chief operating officer and director of finance for VNA. Before that, she served as the director of operations and the director of reimbursement at Children’s Hospital Home Care. She began her career as a staff accountant with the Children’s Hospital of Buffalo.

Baumgartner holds a Master of Business Administration degree in healthcare systems from the University at Buffalo and a bachelor’s degree in accounting from St. Bonaventure University.

As chief operating officer of Highland Hospital, Cindy Becker is responsible for oversight and management of all hospital operations. Before this position, Becker was the vice president of patient care services and chief nursing officer; assistant vice president, nursing; and emergency department manager at Highland Hospital; and assistant clinician (manager), emergency department, at Strong Memorial Hospital.

Becker received her Master of Business Administration degree at the University of Rochester Simon School of Business in June 2001.

She was a Captain in the United States Air Force and Clinical Nurse, CCRN, Critical Care Unit, March Air Force Base, Riverside, California, from 1981 to 1983.

Becker has served as the clinical assistant dean, University of Rochester School of Nursing since 1998.

Eddie Bratko was named president of Mercy Hospital in August 2019. He previously served as Mercy Hospital’s chief operating officer, a position he held since 2015.

Bratko joined the hospital in 2010 as director of financial services. He holds a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in financial economics and an advanced certificate in international economics from the University at Buffalo.

He also completed a leadership program from the University of New Hampshire and an internship at Yale University School of Medicine.

Kevin Casey was appointed president of Rochester General Hospital in August 2018. Board certified in internal medicine and gastroenterology, Casey earned his medical degree at Case Western Reserve University. He completed his residency in internal medicine at the University of Washington and a fellowship in gastroenterology at Duke University Medical Center, where he was a doctoral candidate in the department of microbiology and immunology.

Casey is a member of the Rochester General Hospital Foundation Board and is a past recipient of the Excellence in Teaching Award presented by Rochester General Hospital residents. He has an interest in hepatobiliary disease, inflammatory bowel disease and advanced endoscopy.

As the president of Sisters of Charity Hospital, Aaron Chang is responsible for the overall operations of the Main Street and St. Joseph campuses. His number one priority is to provide the best care and patient experience to the community.

Chang comes to Catholic Health from St. John’s Regional Medical Center and St. John’s Pleasant Valley Hospital in California, part of the Commonspirit Health/Dignity Health System, where he served as the market chief operating officer. Before that, he held leadership positions with Palmdale Regional Medical Center, a subsidiary of Universal Health Services, and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford, in California.

He is a graduate of the University of California — Davis, where he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in nutrition science, and from California State University — East Bay, where he earned his master’s degree in healthcare administration. He is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and holds a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certification. Chang was recognized by Modern Healthcare’s list of Top 25 Emerging Leaders in 2020.

Brian Durniok was appointed president of UPMC Chautauqua in January 2019. He has more than two decades of expertise in operations and business analytics. As president of UPMC Northwest, since 2017, he increased operating revenue by 9% in fiscal year 2018, oversaw the successful Joint Commission tri-annual survey, recruited multiple new specialty physicians and led the introduction of UPMC’s patient experience initiative, resulting in multiple improvements on key indicators.

From 2014 to 2017 he was president, operations, and vice president, human resources, at UPMC Northwest. During this time, his accomplishments included assisting the president with day-to-day operational oversight, helping reduce turnover to the lowest within the UPMC system and facilitating the introduction of new hospitalist, emergency department and anesthesia services.

Durniok received his Master of Business Administration degree at Baker College in Flint, Michigan and his bachelor’s degree at Theil College. He is currently an executive board member at Northwest Foundation in Seneca, Pennsylvania and Venango Nurses Association, also in Pennsylvania.

Steven Goldstein is chief executive officer of Strong Memorial Hospital and Highland Hospital, vice president for the University of Rochester Medical Center and president for long-term care at URMC. Goldstein directs all aspects of Strong Memorial Hospital’s operations and leads the effort to prepare the healthcare system to succeed in a changing managed care environment. He also leads all of the managed care activities at Strong and the University of Rochester Medical Center’s affiliates.

He is a professor of community and preventive medicine at the URMC School of Medicine and Dentistry. In addition, he has been an American Hospital Association trustee since 2012 and has served as a past chairman of the Healthcare Association of New York State.

Before joining Strong Memorial, Goldstein was an executive at Rochester General Hospital, The Children’s Medical Center (Dayton, Ohio), University of Nebraska Hospitals and Clinics and the Nebraska Psychiatric Institute.

Nils Gunnersen has managed hospital operations at Bertrand Chaffee Hospital since 2009. Under his leadership, BCH has established a primary care center, heart center and surgical center, and recruited healthcare professionals who are dedicated to providing high-quality medical services to rural areas.

He was previously chief operating officer at Mercy Hospital from 1999 to 2008.

James Helms was appointed president and chief executive officer at Jones Memorial Hospital in 2021. Throughout his career he has been a strategic leader and administrator, working within larger healthcare systems to financially stabilize operations, increase patient access to services and improve quality of care across multiple facilities

He has extensive knowledge of healthcare systems and hospital finances, and experience in directing strategic alignment toward mutually beneficial outcomes. He regularly advocates on regulatory issues affecting healthcare funding. He also served more than two decades in the U.S. Army Reserves, working throughout global areas of operations to extend command influence, assess morale of the force and provide optimal support during critical events.

Helms is recognized for his strength in petitioning for grant funding and leading the charge to turn around negative performance, as well as adhering to the highest standards of ethical and moral conduct, acting in the best interest of the hospital and fully supporting the hospital’s mission, vision and values.

James Helms was appointed president and chief executive officer at Jones Memorial Hospital in 2021. Throughout his career he has been a strategic leader and administrator, working within larger healthcare systems to financially stabilize operations, increase patient access to services and improve quality of care across multiple facilities

He has extensive knowledge of healthcare systems and hospital finances, and experience in directing strategic alignment toward mutually beneficial outcomes. He regularly advocates on regulatory issues affecting healthcare funding. He also served more than two decades in the U.S. Army Reserves, working throughout global areas of operations to extend command influence, assess morale of the force and provide optimal support during critical events.

Helms is recognized for his strength in petitioning for grant funding and leading the charge to turn around negative performance, as well as adhering to the highest standards of ethical and moral conduct, acting in the best interest of the hospital and fully supporting the hospital’s mission, vision and values.

Allegra Jaros was appointed president of John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital, formerly known as Women & Children’s Hospital of Buffalo, in June 2014. She has been with Kaleida Health since 1998, having previously served as chief operating officer of Women & Children’s Hospital of Buffalo.

Jaros leads one of only 43 freestanding children’s hospitals in the United States and the only freestanding children’s hospital in New York. She led the planning and execution of the historic and successful move that saw 125 patients safely transferred from Women & Children’s Hospital of Buffalo to Oishei Children’s Hospital in 2017. Jaros has been instrumental in the evolution of the hospital’s operational and business development strategies, resulting in physician recruitment and improvements in quality care delivery, the overall experience for patients, physicians and staff as well as successful clinical outcomes and increased market share resulting in revenue generation.

Jaros is responsible for strategic operations, as well as oversight for hospital and ambulatory operations, including clinical, ancillary and support services, community physician relations, all off-site pediatric and obstetric primary clinics and adherence to all regulatory requirements to maintain Pediatric Level I Trauma Regional Perinatal Center and Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit program designations.

Jaros serves on the boards of the Healthcare Association of New York State, Children’s Hospital Association Finance Committee, Millennium Collaborative Care performing provider system and Upstate New York Transplant Services. She earned a bachelor’s degree in finance and a Master of Business Administration degree with an emphasis on healthcare from Canisius College. She has been named to Buffalo Business First’s Power 250, Healthcare 50 and Forty under 40 lists in recent years.

Candace Johnson joined Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Institute in February 2002 and is currently president and chief executive officer. Previously, she was director and chair of the department of pharmacology and therapeutics, the Wallace Family chair for translational research and professor of oncology.

From 1997 to 2002, Johnson served as deputy director of basic research at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, and professor of pharmacology and medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

Johnson earned her doctoral degree in immunology from Ohio State University, Columbus, in 1977. From 1977 to 1981, she completed research and postdoctoral fellowships in immunology/cell biology at the Michigan Cancer Foundation, Detroit.

She is a member of many professional and scientific societies; senior editor of Molecular Cancer Therapeutics; associate editor of Molecular and Cellular Differentiation, Oncology and Molecular Pharmacology; and a member of the editorial board of Oncology Reports and Molecular Pharmacology. She is a member of the National Institutes of Health Reviewers Reserve and has served as a member of two National Cancer Institute committees.

Johnson has authored or coauthored nearly 200 journal publications, book chapters and abstracts, and has been issued patents on the “Use of Pretreatment Chemicals to Enhance Efficacy of Cytotoxic Agents” and “Endothelial Specific Targeting.” Additionally, she was the recipient of the 2013 Dr. Thomas B. Tomasi Hope Award, the 2013 Medaille College Excellence in Leadership Award, the 2010 University of Pittsburgh Innovator Award and in 2010 was elected as a Fellow of the American Association for Advancement of Science.

The former executive vice president and chief nursing executive for Kaleida Health, Cheryl Klass became interim president in March 2022.

Named Kaleida Health’s chief nursing executive in 2016, Klass is credited for creating, organizing and overseeing the organization’s first ever nursing plan of excellence. The plan included improving nursing operations, nurse engagement and care quality.

In December 2011, Klass was appointed senior vice president of operations, Buffalo General Medical Center, which includes the Gates Vascular Institute and HighPointe on Michigan. She also oversaw Women and Children’s Hospital of Buffalo.

Klass began her career as a registered nurse at Children’s Hospital of Buffalo in 1977, but quickly advanced into nursing leadership roles that included director of the pediatric, surgical and critical care divisions of the hospital. She served as chief nursing officer of Children’s Hospital for many years before relocating to Chicago in 1993 to accept the role of chief operating officer for Children’s Memorial Medical Center, part of the Northwestern Healthcare System.

Klass returned to Buffalo in 2000 as chief operating officer of Mercy Hospital of Buffalo and chief operating officer of Sisters Hospital of Buffalo, as well as vice president of Women’s Health for the Catholic Health System. She came to Kaleida Health in 2004 as president of the then Women and Children’s Hospital of Buffalo.

Klass earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Niagara University and her Master of Business Administration from the J. L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University.

Felissa Koernig was appointed president and chief operating officer in January 2021, after serving as interim president/chief operating officer since fall 2020. Koernig joined Guthrie in 2019 with more than ten years of healthcare management experience and has served as president/COO of Guthrie Towanda Memorial Hospital. Before joining the Guthrie organization, she was employed by the VA Medical Center in Charleston, South Carolina, where she was the associate director/COO.

Koernig received her Juris Doctorate degree from Penn State University Dickinson School of Law, Master of Business Administration degree from Penn State University Capitol College and her bachelor’s degree in business administration at Elmira College.

Currently the chief operating officer at Finger Lakes Health, Frank Korich previously served as senior vice president of operations, as well as vice president and site administrator.

Before joining Finger Lakes Health he was the administrative director, cardiopulmonary services, imaging and scheduling at Geneva General Hospital.

Korich has a Master of Business Administration degree in finance and marketing from Wilkes University in Pennsylvania and a bachelor’s degree in biology from Muhlenberg College.

He is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and serves on several hospital and living center boards of directors.

Walter Ludwig has served as the president of Kenmore Mercy Hospital since January 2018. He joined Catholic Health in November 2009 as chief operating officer.

Ludwig’s initial training is as a pharmacist, with his first leadership role as the director of pharmacy services at John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital in Buffalo. After earning his Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Buffalo, he was promoted to various administrative and leadership roles in the Kaleida Health system and served at both DeGraff Memorial Hospital and Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital.

Ludwig has also worked for a regional business collaborative owned by Western New York hospitals, where he worked with his team to develop a regional laundry for all area hospitals. He also worked with ConnectLife to develop its local blood bank program and completed many projects that provided business opportunities for local healthcare syste He has worked in the local healthcare market for over 35 years.

In addition to his work life, Ludwig has volunteered in his community, serving on the boards of the KenTon Chamber of Commerce, the Chamber of the Tonawandas, Community Connections of NY, ConnectLife and currently serves on the board of the Buffalo Academy of the Sacred Heart. He is an adjunct faculty member in the UB School of Public Health.

Anne McCaffrey was named president and chief executive officer at Eastern Niagara Hospital in August 2018. She has 20 years of healthcare management experience, having served in leadership roles at Lake Shore Behavioral Health in Buffalo (now BestSelf Behavioral Health) from 1991 to 2010. While at Lake Shore, she held management positions including director of vocational services, director of rehabilitation services and director of grants, development and community relations.

She was elected to serve as the 57th Mayor of the City of Lockport from 2014 to 2018, having previously been elected twice as the 2nd Ward Alderwoman in the City of Lockport. McCaffrey was appointed Common Council President in 2013.

She is credited with helping lead a major financial turnaround for the city, turning a $4 million deficit into a $4.4 million fund balance, improving the city’s bond rating and obtaining $23 million in new grants. A lifelong resident of Lockport, her community service has included board participation with the Locks Heritage District Corp., Destination USA, Greater Lockport Development Corporation, Rotary Club, Historic Palace Theatre, Youth Mentoring Services, DeSales Catholic School, among many others.

McCaffrey has a bachelor’s degree in political science and French from Nazareth College and a master’s degree in public policy analysis from the University of Rochester.

Robert Nesselbush was appointed chief executive officer of the Kaleida Health System in December 2020. He was formerly the organization’s chief financial officer, coming to Kaleida Health in April 2019 after spending 24 years at Rochester Regional Health.

At RRH, Nesselbush spent 24 years rising through the hospital system, beginning as the director of financial reporting and finishing as the executive vice president and chief operating officer of the $2.4 billion system. As COO, he led the merger integration of four health systems in June 2014: Rochester General Health System, Unity Health System, Clifton Springs Health System and United Memorial Medical Center.

Nesselbush, a big believer in the importance of cross-functional teams, worked closely with nursing and physician leadership throughout his tenure in Rochester to help improve outcomes and quality scores, and to reposition their hospitals in the region. One of the direct results was the RRH Quality and Safety Institute, which is focused on driving continuous quality and patient safety improvement. The structure and investment in the quality program led to Rochester General Hospital’s recognition as one of Healthgrades’ America’s 50 Best Hospitals™ (top 1% of hospitals in the nation).

He received his undergraduate degree from Bucknell University and completed his Master of Business Administration degree with a focus on public accounting. He began his career and spent five years as a senior accountant with Price Waterhouse Coopers in Rochester.

Thomas Quatroche has held executive positions in management, strategic planning and marketing in both higher education and healthcare for more than 20 years. He has been part of the ECMC family for 15 years.

In 2015, Quatroche was appointed president of Erie County Medical Center Corporation and on Jan. 26, 2016, the ECMCC Board of Directors appointed him as chief executive officer and president. In this capacity, he provides leadership for over 3,700 staff members at ECMC, Long-term Care at Terrace View and additional outpatient locations. His responsibilities also include all strategic initiatives of the corporation, including affiliations with Great Lakes Health, Kaleida Health, University at Buffalo and many other community organizations important to the corporation’s strategic direction. Before becoming president and CEO, Quatroche served as president at ECMC.

Quatroche is a past recipient of Buffalo Business First’s C-Level Executive Award, the Outstanding Achievement Award from the Fredonia Alumni Association, the Barry and Deanna Snyder Chairman’s Award from the Seneca Diabetes Foundation and the SUNY Buffalo State College Distinguished Alumni Award. He currently serves on the Healthcare Association of New York State’s executive committee and is immediate past chairman of the HANYS Board of Trustees. He is a member of the board of directors of America’s Essential Hospitals and is a former board member of the Trocaire College Board of Trustees, SUNY College at Buffalo Foundation Board and Buffalo Renaissance Foundation Board of Directors.

During his career, he has served on statewide committees in education for the State University of New York and recently served as a representative on Governor Cuomo’s statewide Medicaid Task Force. In January 2021, he was recognized in the New York publication, City & State’s 2021 Health Power 100. He has also been a featured presenter at healthcare conferences regarding policy issues such as federal healthcare reform.

A native of Western New York, Quatroche is very involved in the community. He served on the Hamburg Town Board and the Immaculata Academy School Board 9, and has been involved in other civic organizations. He is also the past recipient of Buffalo Business First’s 40 Under 40 award.

He received his bachelor’s degree in business administration and marketing from the State University of New York College at Fredonia, and a master’s degree in student personnel administration and his Doctorate in higher education — educational leadership and policy, from SUNY Buffalo.

Dustin Riccio is president of Rochester Regional Health’s Eastern Region. He began with the organization in 2008 when he joined Unity Hospital, where he served as chair of the emergency department and president of the medical staff. During that time, he also chaired several committees and directed Unity Hospital’s Advanced Cardiac Life Support program. He earned his medical degree at Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, New York, and went on to receive his Master of Business Administration degree from the Simon Business School at the University of Rochester. He is board certified in emergency medicine.

Riccio proudly serves the community through his broad range of professional interests and volunteer work. He serves on the board of directors of Mercy Flight Central and is a member and current chair of the YPO Empire State Chapter. Among his accolades, Riccio is a 2015 Rochester Business Journal 40 Under 40 award recipient.

Marc Shurtz has served Orleans Community Health as chief information officer and corporate compliance officer since 2014. He was named interim chief executive officer in July 2020. He has 20 years of management experience spanning across military, legal and healthcare backgrounds.

Shurtz grew up in Michigan and moved to the Western New York area after serving in the Navy for 13 years. He was drawn to the healthcare field because he finds it very rewarding to have a positive effect on the community every day.

Before his career move to Orleans Community Health, Shurtz worked for a large law firm in Buffalo for more than 10 years.

Michael Stapleton was appointed president and chief executive officer of Thompson Health in July 2012. He was named executive vice president, Thompson Health and chief operating officer, Thompson Hospital, in March 2011.

He previously served as CEO and vice president of patient care services at Lakeside Health System. While at Lakeside, he received the Rochester Business Journal’s 2008 Health Care Achievement Award, and earlier received a Meritorious Service Award from the City of Rochester for saving the life of a young man who was attempting to jump from a bridge.

Stapleton also worked at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester as nurse manager of the Kessler Family Burn Trauma Intensive Care Unit and the emergency department.

He currently serves on the board of directors of St. John Fisher College, Mercy Flight Central and the American Hospital Association Region 2 Regional Policy Board. He holds a Master of Science degree in leadership in healthcare systems from the University of Rochester, a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from St. John Fisher College and a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from the State University College at Oswego.

Douglas Stewart assumed the position of president of Unity Hospital in March 2015. He is responsible for all clinical, operational and support functions of the 350-bed, full-service community hospital.

Previously, Stewart was senior vice president, acute and ambulatory services, Unity Health. There, his areas of responsibility included nursing and patient care services, care management, social work, environmental services, food and nutrition, facilities engineering, pharmacy and operational process improvement.

Stewart received his bachelor’s degree in public policy from Stanford University and his PsyD in clinical psychology from Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology in 1999.

Mark Sullivan has served as president and chief executive officer of Catholic Health since February 2018. He has administrative responsibility for one of the area’s largest health systems, with annual revenue of more than $1.2 billion. He leads a team of more than 10,000 associates, while working closely with Catholic Medical Partners and Trinity Medical WNY to help strengthen the system’s relationship with its nearly 1,600 affiliated physicians.

A veteran healthcare executive, Sullivan has been with Catholic Health since its inception in 1998, previously serving as executive vice president/chief operating officer. Sullivan’s 25-year professional career includes extensive experience across the healthcare continuum. He has led acute care, primary care, home care and continuing care operations, as well as provided oversight for quality, patient safety and performance improvement functions.

He began his administrative career in 1994 as director of business operations for Mercy Home Care of WNY. Following the formation of Catholic Health, he was named director of operations for home health in 2000 and served as CEO of the division from 2003 to 2007.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in political science/criminal justice and a master’s degree in public administration/healthcare management from Canisius College. He is a Fellow of the American College of Health Care Executives, a Health Care Transformation Fellow and mentor with the American Hospital Association and a Certified Home and Hospice Care Executive.

Throughout his career, Sullivan has been involved with professional, civic, academic and community service organizations. He currently serves on the American Hospital Association Health Care Systems Governing Council, Buffalo Niagara Partnership Board of Directors, Healthcare Association of New York State Board of Trustees and Racial Equity Buffalo Leaders Task Force. He also served as a deputy with the Erie County Sheriff’s Office Scientific Staff Reserve for 13 years.

Karen Surkala was appointed chief executive officer of Westfield Memorial Hospital in July 2019. She has more than 30 years of experience in the healthcare field, with many years of service at AHN Saint Vincent Hospital and WMH. She joined the Saint Vincent staff in 1986, later serving as vice president of orthopedic, neuroscience and oncology services, and as a senior vice president with responsibility for clinical operations support, business development, security, engineering, bio-medical engineering, marketing, communications and physician recruiting.

From 2007 to 2011, she served as vice president and administrator for Westfield Memorial Hospital. Surkala’s career also includes several leadership positions at the Cleveland Clinic, including director of strategic agenda management, a position she held from 2015 to 2018. Most recently, she served as CEO of Select Specialty Hospital in Erie.

Surkala earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Gannon University and a Master of Business Administration degree from St. Leo University.

J. Chad Teeters was appointed president and chief executive officer of Nicholas H. Noyes Health in May 2021. Previously, Teeters served as the chief of cardiology at Highland Hospital. He holds advanced certification in vascular ultrasound and interpretation and has a special interest in peripheral arterial disease. He also specializes in non-invasive cardiology including echocardiography, transesophageal echocardiography and nuclear cardiac imaging. He is board certified in internal medicine and cardiovascular disease.

Teeters received his MD degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He completed his residency in internal medicine and fellowships in cardiovascular disease and preventive cardiology at the University of Rochester. He joined the faculty in 2009.

Teeters’ research interests focus on two key areas:

• peripheral arterial disease and the associated cardiovascular risk, with particular interest in emerging technologies in vascular ultrasound and translation into diagnosis of vascular disease and risk assessment; and
• geriatric cardiovascular disease and treatment; the geriatric population is the fastest growing population in the United States and there is an increasing prevalence of cardiovascular disease amongst these patients. His research interests relate to diagnosing cardiovascular disease in the elder population and proper application of treatment protocols to the geriatric community.

Hugh Thomas has served as executive vice president, chief administrative officer and general counsel at Rochester Regional Health since July 2014.

Thomas joined RRH in July 2014. Before joining RRH, he was the senior vice president and corporate counsel at Rochester General Health System, where he worked for more than 13 years.

Elizabeth Weir has served as site administrator and vice president, nursing, at the Ira Davenport Memorial Hospital/Arnot Health since March 2018.

Her previous experience includes service line administration for Ira Davenport’s emergency department and hospitalist medicine, director of multiple medical surgical nursing units, chair of system-level quality and shared governance committees and critical care educator for senior nursing students.

Weir holds a Master of Science in nursing degree from Norwich University in Vermont, and a bachelor’s degree from SUNY College at Brockport. She has more than 20 years of diverse nursing and leadership experience. Her board of directors service includes St. Joseph’s Neighborhood Center, Ira Davenport Memorial Hospital, Keuka Health Care Foundation and Steuben County Advisory Council on Substance Free Living.

Weir is passionate about caring for the community members of rural Steuben County. Working to provide access to critical healthcare, she led initiatives to expand telemedicine and secure accreditation as a Primary Stroke Center for the Ira Davenport Hospital. A focus on quality at each step of a patient’s visit has led to significant improvement in patient experience and quality metric scores.